Merchandise imports by the reporting economy in Zambia
Zambia: Merchandise imports by the reporting economy was 10.12 billion current US$ in 2023. ◆ Volatile
Latest (2023)
10.12 billion current US$
Change on year
up 12.0%
World rank
111th
of 206 countries
All-time high
10.12 billion current US$
in 2023
All-time low
215.55 million current US$
in 1964
Years of data
60
1964–2023
Merchandise imports by the reporting economy in Zambia, 1964–2023
Source: Staff estimates, World Bank (WB). Measured in current US$.
Analysis
The most recent figure for merchandise imports by the reporting economy in Zambia is 10.12 billion current US$, measured in 2023. That is the highest value across all 60 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 12.0% on the previous year and up 4.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, merchandise imports by the reporting economy in Zambia peaked at 10.12 billion current US$ in 2023 and was at its lowest, 215.55 million current US$, in 1964.
Zambia ranks 111th of 206 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Merchandise imports by the reporting economy in Zambia, year by year
| Year | current US$ | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1964 | 215.55 million current US$ | — |
| 1965 | 290.80 million current US$ | +34.9% |
| 1966 | 339.20 million current US$ | +16.6% |
| 1967 | 412.58 million current US$ | +21.6% |
| 1968 | 447.86 million current US$ | +8.6% |
| 1969 | 427.88 million current US$ | -4.5% |
| 1970 | 466.73 million current US$ | +9.1% |
| 1971 | 545.14 million current US$ | +16.8% |
| 1972 | 549.63 million current US$ | +0.8% |
| 1973 | 513.47 million current US$ | -6.6% |
| 1974 | 754.20 million current US$ | +46.9% |
| 1975 | 890.99 million current US$ | +18.1% |
| 1976 | 631.63 million current US$ | -29.1% |
| 1977 | 646.00 million current US$ | +2.3% |
| 1978 | 590.30 million current US$ | -8.6% |
| 1979 | 723.92 million current US$ | +22.6% |
| 1980 | 1.08 billion current US$ | +49.0% |
| 1981 | 832.71 million current US$ | -22.8% |
| 1982 | 961.88 million current US$ | +15.5% |
| 1983 | 682.33 million current US$ | -29.1% |
| 1984 | 588.53 million current US$ | -13.7% |
| 1985 | 660.18 million current US$ | +12.2% |
| 1986 | 559.96 million current US$ | -15.2% |
| 1987 | 682.88 million current US$ | +22.0% |
| 1988 | 861.21 million current US$ | +26.1% |
| 1989 | 1.25 billion current US$ | +45.5% |
| 1990 | 1.20 billion current US$ | -4.0% |
| 1991 | 787.23 million current US$ | -34.6% |
| 1992 | 827.76 million current US$ | +5.1% |
| 1993 | 695.13 million current US$ | -16.0% |
| 1994 | 451.00 million current US$ | -35.1% |
| 1995 | 777.45 million current US$ | +72.4% |
| 1996 | 824.85 million current US$ | +6.1% |
| 1997 | 696.51 million current US$ | -15.6% |
| 1998 | 1.09 billion current US$ | +56.1% |
| 1999 | 837.69 million current US$ | -22.9% |
| 2000 | 1.09 billion current US$ | +30.1% |
| 2001 | 1.08 billion current US$ | -0.9% |
| 2002 | 1.07 billion current US$ | -0.8% |
| 2003 | 1.55 billion current US$ | +44.3% |
| 2004 | 2.15 billion current US$ | +39.1% |
| 2005 | 2.58 billion current US$ | +19.9% |
| 2006 | 3.03 billion current US$ | +17.4% |
| 2007 | 4.00 billion current US$ | +32.2% |
| 2008 | 5.11 billion current US$ | +27.7% |
| 2009 | 3.82 billion current US$ | -25.2% |
| 2010 | 5.32 billion current US$ | +39.1% |
| 2011 | 7.27 billion current US$ | +36.7% |
| 2012 | 8.79 billion current US$ | +21.0% |
| 2013 | 9.66 billion current US$ | +9.9% |
| 2014 | 9.37 billion current US$ | -3.0% |
| 2015 | 8.05 billion current US$ | -14.1% |
| 2016 | 7.54 billion current US$ | -6.4% |
| 2017 | 8.77 billion current US$ | +16.3% |
| 2018 | 9.44 billion current US$ | +7.7% |
| 2019 | 7.22 billion current US$ | -23.5% |
| 2020 | 5.32 billion current US$ | -26.4% |
| 2021 | 7.10 billion current US$ | +33.4% |
| 2022 | 9.04 billion current US$ | +27.4% |
| 2023 | 10.12 billion current US$ | +12.0% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 355.65 million current US$ | 215.55 million current US$ | 447.86 million current US$ | 6 |
| 1970s | 631.20 million current US$ | 466.73 million current US$ | 890.99 million current US$ | 10 |
| 1980s | 816.09 million current US$ | 559.96 million current US$ | 1.25 billion current US$ | 10 |
| 1990s | 818.80 million current US$ | 451.00 million current US$ | 1.20 billion current US$ | 10 |
| 2000s | 2.55 billion current US$ | 1.07 billion current US$ | 5.11 billion current US$ | 10 |
| 2010s | 8.14 billion current US$ | 5.32 billion current US$ | 9.66 billion current US$ | 10 |
| 2020s | 7.90 billion current US$ | 5.32 billion current US$ | 10.12 billion current US$ | 4 |
Countries ranked near Zambia
More private sector data for Zambia
- Merchandise trade 91.7% (2025)
- Food imports 7.8% (2024)
- Manufactures imports 64.4% (2024)
- Merchandise imports 13.17 billion current US$ (2025)
- Food exports 8.7% (2024)
- Manufactures exports 14.1% (2024)
- Merchandise exports 13.31 billion current US$ (2025)
- Merchandise exports (current US$), per capita 607.56 current US$ per person (2025)
- Merchandise exports (current US$), per unit of GDP 0.461 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Merchandise exports (current US$), annual growth rate 18.07 % change on previous year (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is merchandise imports by the reporting economy in Zambia?
- Merchandise imports by the reporting economy in Zambia was 10.12 billion current US$ in 2023, according to Staff estimates, World Bank (WB).
- What is the highest merchandise imports by the reporting economy recorded in Zambia?
- The highest recorded value was 10.12 billion current US$ in 2023.
- What is the lowest merchandise imports by the reporting economy recorded in Zambia?
- The lowest recorded value was 215.55 million current US$ in 1964.
- How does Zambia rank for merchandise imports by the reporting economy?
- Zambia ranks 111th out of 206 countries with data for 2023.
- Is merchandise imports by the reporting economy rising or falling in Zambia?
- Over the last ten years it is up 4.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Zambia data come from?
- The figures come from Staff estimates, World Bank (WB), published as part of Merchandise imports by the reporting economy (current US$). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 60 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Merchandise imports by the reporting economy are the total merchandise imports by the reporting economy from the rest of the world, as reported in the IMF's Direction of trade database. Data are in current U.S. dollars.